1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fan control system and a method for a computer system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Generally, a computer system, for example a personal computer or high-end server, will have a cooling fan installed inside the system for heat dissipation. Particularly, for the existing central processing unit (CPU) or storage device, such as memory or hard disk, due to the increased processing speed and correspondingly the resulted high temperature, it is further required for employing a cooling fan to enhance the effect of heat dissipation to prevent the system damage due to being overheated.
The system may include a thermal diode, DTS (Digital thermal Sensor), or PECI (Platform Environment Control Interface) provided by Intel Corp., to monitor the temperature of a device in the computer system, such as the CPU, and further control the cooling fan. When the temperature of the device is getting higher, the fan provides more airflow. For example, Q-Fan Technology® is provided by ASUSTeK Computer Inc., and Precision Cooling Technology® and QST (Quiet System Technology®) are provided by Intel Corp. PECI employs the on-die DTS to provide digital information regarding the temperature of a processor, and QST uses the PECI reading output from the CPU as feedback to control the fan so that the temperature from a sensor approaches a temperature control value.